Remote control for high pressure tanks



June 9, 1936 F. B. STOVER 2,043,632

REMOTEk CONTROL FVOR HIGH PRESSURE TANKS Filed July 15, '1931l ATTORNEYSPatented June 9, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Frank B. Stover,Detroit, Mich., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to Eclipse Aviation Corporation, East Orange, N. J.,a corporation of New `lersey Application July 13, 1931, Serial No.550,504

3 Claims. (Cl. 137-139) The present invention pertains to a novel devicefor controlling the discharge of fluid from a tank containing s uchfluid under high pressure. A typical installation consistsof a tankcharged by a compressor and adapted to discharge at selected times to apneumatic starter for an aeroplane motor.

The discharge from the tank is obviously governed by a valve, andconsiderable difficulty has been experienced in locating the operatingmeans for the valve at a convenient position. The object of the presentinvention is to overcome this diiculty by the use of pneumaticvalve-operating means which may easily be located wherever desired,inasmuch asichanges in location require only diiierent lengths oftubing. l

The control device consists essentially of a fluid passage from the tankto a piston adapted to open the discharge valve. In the passage isinserted an auxiliary valve normally obstructing the same, and thusfluid entering the passage is ineffective on the main valve. The passagemay, incidently, include 4the line which permanently connects the tankwith the pressure gauge. A push button is mounted in alignment with theauxiliary valve and has a stem extending towards the valve. By pressureon the push button, the stem may be brought into engagement with theauxiliaryV valve to open the same and thus permit flow'of pressure tothe aforementioned piston which in turn opens the main valve at thetank.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the followingdescription and in the accompanying drawing, in Which- Figure 1 is asectional view of the device at the operating end;

Fig. 2 is a sectional the tank; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Figure 2. i

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characterswhich are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

In Figures 2 and is illustrated a tank l adapt ed to contain air orother uid at a comparatively high pressure, for example,- ve hundred tosix hundred pounds per square inch. 'A nipple 2 is threaded into thetank I and is formed with an annular valve seat 3. A valve member 4 isview of the .apparatus at @slidably and loosely mounted in the nippleand carries a composite seating portion 5 adapted to cover and closeagainst the seat 3 in certain cases as will presently appear. The valvemember is backed by a coil spring 6 which in turn lseat 3 as clearlyshown in Figure 3.

is retained byan apertured nut l threaded into the inner end of thecoupling.

A valve body member 8 is threaded on the outer end of the .coupling 2,as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and is formed with a central chamber 5 9adapted to communicate with the interior of the coupling 2 through thevalve seat 3. A pin l0 is threaded through the body member 8 andnormally holds the valve 4, 5, away from the The body 8 is formed withanother valve chamber Il communicating with the chamber 9. One end ofthe chamber ll has a line l2 coupled thereto. This line extends from acompressor or other suitable source of pressure fluid and is adapted todeliver fluid under pressure to the tank l in a manner which willpresently be described. In the chamber l l is slidably and looselymounted a valve i3 normally held closed against the valve seat orreduced intake end I i of the chamber by means of a light coil `springl5. The spring is backed by a coupling member I8 inserted in the otherend of the chamber. Thus, the valve I3 is adapted to prevent a return ofuid from chamber Il back into line l2, but when the pressure in the lineexceeds the pressure in chamber Il plus that of spring l5, the valve I3is removed from its seating position shown in Figure 2, and the tank ischarged.

The coupling I8 is connected by a line Il to another valve body IBdisposed at the operators station. The body has a branch I9 whichconducts fluid under pressure to a gauge mounted on an instrument board2|.

Thebody 8 has still another passage 22 connected by a line 23 to adevice designed to be operated by the pressure fluid -in the tank i,such as a pneumatic starter for an internal combustion engine. Thechamber 22 is adapted for communication with the chamber 9 and containsa slidably and loosely mounted valve 24 adapted to close against a seat25 in the chamber 22 to obstruct such communication. The valve isnormally held in closed position by the fluid pressure in the tank and aspring 26 which in turn is retained by a plug 2l threaded into one endof the cavity 22.

Another cavity 28 is formed in the body 8 in axial alignment with thepassage 22. The cavity 23 contains a piston 29 having a larger face areathan the valve 24, and from the piston extends a stem 30 engaging thevalve member 24. Thus, v'hen pressure is applied to the face of thepiston by the means presently to be described, to an extent sufficientto overcome the 55 -through the panel 2| as shown in Figure 1.

spring 26 and the tank uid pressure behind the valve, the valve seat isuncovered to permit pressure uid to iiow from-the tank I through thechamber 9 and valve seat 25 into the line 23 whereby to operate thepressure actuated device connected to the line 23."

The body I8 is formed with a valve chamber 3l permanently affordingcommunication between the line I1 and branch I9, so that the gauge 20 isat all times responsive to the pressure in the tank I.' The chamber 3Iis formed intermediate its ends with a valve seat 32 adapted to becovered vand closed by a valve member 33 loosely and slidably mounted inthe chamber. The valve is normally held in closed position by the iiuidpressure in the line I1 and the coil spring 34 which has oneend'abutting a plug 35 threaded into an end of the chamber.

At the other side of the valve seat, the body I8 is formed with aport.36 in permanent communication with the chamber, and a line 31connects this port to the chamber 28 at the face of the piston 29. Thus,the establishment of pressure against the piston 29 to openthe valve 24depends on the opening of the valve 33.

A tube 38 is inserted in the body I8 at the unplugged end of the chamber3I and is also passed At the face of the panel, a housing or thimble 39is threaded on the member 38. In order to open the valve 33 wheneverdesired, a push button 40 is slidably mounted in the housing 39 and hasa stem 4I extending towards the valve 33 to` such an extent that inwardpressure on the push button brings the free end of the stem intoengagement with the valve 33 and opens it.

When this operation is performed, the tank pressure existing in the lineI1 through the means previously described is communicated throughtheport 36 and line 31 to the face of the piston 29, causing the Valve24 to uncover the valve seat 25 so that the device connected to the line23 is operated.

The housing. 39 contains a spring 42`engaging the push button 40 andnormally moving it to its outward position so that the stem 4I isdisengaged from the valve 33.4 A shoulder 43 formed on the stem engagesa corresponding shoulder 44 within the tube 38 and prevents the stemfrom being entirely Ywithdrawn from the open is prevented from escapingto the atmosphere by the fact that the enlarged portion 41 oi' the stem4I inward of the shoulder 43 covers the ports 45 before the stem engagesthe valve. In other words, the distance through which the stem musttravel to cover the ports 46 is at least as great as the normal distancebetween the valve 33 and the nearer extremity of the stem as shown inFigure 1.

When the push button 40 is allowed 'toreturn to its normal position, thefluid pressure in the chamber 28 is reduced to atmospheric pressurethrough the line 31, port 36 and ports 45 and 46. In like manner, a port48 is drilled through the body 8 to connect the chambery28 behind thepiston 29 to the atmosphere. so that there will be no compression of airresisting movement of the piston under pressure in chamber 28. n

It will now be evident that the invention over- 5 comes theinconveniences of a valve control for the tank I mounted directly on thetank or li-nked to the tank. Instead, the invention providespneumaticmeans mounted at any desirable point remote from the tank andadapted to gov- 10 ern the outow of pressure uid from the tank.

In removing the body 8 from the coupling 2, the pin I0 is also withdrawnso that the valve 4 covers the seat 3 under the action of the spring 6and uid pressure. By reason of this device, 15 no fluid is lost fromvthe tank when the body 8 is removed for cleaning, repairs of any otherreason.

Although a speciic embodiment of the invention has-been illustrated anddescribed, it will 20 be understood that various alterations in thedetails of construction may be made without departing from the'scope ofthe invention, as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim isz- 1. In combination,a body adapted for connection to apressure receptacle and havinga pressure iiuid inlet and a pressurefluid outlet, a valve in said body normally closing said outletyapressure-operated device for op'ening said 30' valve, a pair of'conduits extending from said body, means interposed between said pair ofconduits for subjecting. said pressure-operated device to the pressureexisting in said receptacle and thereby causing 'sai'd valve to open, asec- 35 ond valve in said body normally closing said pressure iiuidinlet, and means including a spring for maintaining said second valveclosed even during the opening operation of said rst named Valve. 40

2. In combination, a body adapted for con- `nection to a pressurereceptacle and having a p'ressure fluid inlet and a pressure iiuidoutlet, a valve in said body normally closing said outlet, apressure-operated device for opening said 45 valve, means including apair of conduits extending from s aid body for subjecting said pressureoperated device to the pressure existing in said receptacle and therebycausing said valve to open, a second valve in said body normally clos-50 ing said pressure fluid inlet, and means includ# ing a spring forpreventing opening of said second valve except upon application of avpressure greater than that in said receptacle.

3. In combination, a body adapted for con- 55' said pressure iiuidinlet, and means including a springvfor preventing opening of saidsecond 65 valve except upon application of a pressure greater than thatactingupon said rst-namedl valve.

FRANK B. STOVER. 70

